Codex / Skill setup
Create a Codex Skill with /skill creator
A skill is a saved set of instructions Codex loads when it recognizes a familiar task. You write it once; Codex reuses it in every future thread where the workflow applies.
Codex open3 minutesBeginner
Use /skill creator from the composer
Open Codex, choose the project that should own the skill (or ask for a user-level skill if you want it everywhere), type /skill creator, and describe the workflow you want saved. Give it a short name you will remember, then test it by invoking that name in a fresh prompt.
Follow the setup path in Codex
- 1
Open Codex
- Why
- The Skill Creator runs from the Codex app, so start from the same place where you already ask Codex to work.
- Action
- Open the Codex app and start from a new chat or the thread that contains the workflow you want to preserve.
- Result
- Codex is open with the composer ready.
- 2
Decide whether the skill is for one project or all of them
- Why
- A project skill lives inside one project and sees that project's files, conventions, and context. A user-level skill is available across every project you open in Codex.
- Action
- If the skill belongs to one project, open that project first using the Projects area. The project-folder icon on the right side of the row opens the workspace. If you want the skill available everywhere, tell Codex you want a user-level skill instead of a project skill.
- Result
- Codex knows where to save the skill folder before it starts writing.
- Tip
- Try calling the skill by name after it is created to confirm Codex can find and load it.
- 3
Give the skill a short name and a clear trigger
- Why
- The name is what you will type later, and the description is what helps Codex recognize when the skill should run automatically.
- Action
- Type /skill creator in the composer and ask for a short lowercase name such as ui-builder, meeting-recap, or source-auditor. Add a trigger sentence that names the actual request, such as "use when I ask Codex to redesign a user interface from a screenshot."
- Result
- Codex writes the SKILL.md file and shows the path to the created skill.
- Tip
- Avoid long names you will not remember. The menu auto-completes, so the real test is whether the name comes to mind when you need the skill.
- 4
Use the skill by calling its name
- Why
- Codex can sometimes select a skill automatically, but deliberate invocation is the most reliable way to get the workflow you meant.
- Action
- In a future thread, type the slash command with the skill name, such as /ui-builder, or write a plain request like "use the ui-builder skill." If you only remember the start of the name, type the first few letters and choose the matching row from the menu.
- Result
- The skill appears in the thread context and Codex follows the saved workflow.
- Tip
- Run the skill in the project it was made for. If it was a project skill, opening the wrong workspace can hide the skill or remove the local context it depends on.
